Indian Tea Tasting: Assam

Submitted by India Week on Tue 06/03/12

For India Week, we will be trying a different blend of Indian Tea every day of the week and giving our own opinions of it, as well as a little of the history. Today's tea is Assam.

We are on to Day 2 of our journey through the teas of India and on to Assam. Often used within the blend of English Breakfast teas, it is a stronger, fuller flavour than the Darjeeling we had yesterday. Whether you prefer that or not is just a matter of taste- it has split the office in half. Unlike with the more subtle Darjeeling, the stronger flavour allows you to add milk and sugar to the Assam without loosing its distinctive taste.

Surprisingly, just like Darjeeling tea is grown in the Darjeeling area, so the Assam plants are grown in the Assam area- the world's largest tea-growing region. To get its distinctive taste, the tea plants need very hot daytime temperatures, matched with a lot of rain- something the lowland areas of Assam are perfect for.

When researching Assam tea we stumbled across an interesting myth about how it was discovered. In 1823 Robert Bruce, a Scottish adventurer, supposedly saw locals brewing the wild plant leaves whilst he was exploring the area. He arranged for some samples to be tested, but promptly died. It wasn't until the 1930s when his brother picked up on it and that the leaves were finally tested and revealed as a variety of tea. Soon after this it was imported into Britain and quickly became a success.

EIC We got our tea from The East India Company which offers a selection of fine teas, coffees, chocolates and gourmet gifts, representing flavours from around the world. As a special offer, you can get a free Mukhwas Chocolate bar with any purchase over £20 during India Week. Simply use the exclusive code: 'indiaweek' when shopping at eicfinefoods.com.